Under the leadership of children’s librarian Laura Arnhold and the head of Children’s Services, Jeanne Kauffman, the Junior Friends Thespians group was featured at this free family event.

The Junior Friends Thespians are a group of students in 5th through 8th grades who volunteer their time and talents to support their local library with various theatrical events, the largest being the Enchanted Library, which attracted more than 400 people this year, according to press information.

The theme of this year’s Enchanted Library was “Villains: Their Stories!”

“We’ve all heard the classic fairytales about heroes and heroines overcoming horrible adversaries in order to storm the castle, save the princess and slay the dragon. But, what if we got the stories wrong?” adds the press release.

The Enchanted Library tour guides led groups on a magical journey to a mythological prison to meet some of the most notorious fairy tale villains.

The actors and actresses gave attendees a comical and unique look at the villains from some of the most famous children’s stories — The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel.

The crowd heard both sides of the story and decided for themselves at the end of the evening if the villains they met were truly evil characters, or just poor, misunderstood souls.

The Upper Merion Township Library, located at 175 West Valley Forge Road in King of Prussia, offers free programs for all ages.

For more information on offerings or to register for upcoming programs and events, visit umtownship.org/library or call 610-265-4806.